Unexpected Gifts!

Many months ago (almost a year, actually) I was the recipient of a rather remarkable gift, thanks to the generosity of longtime GDB reader Irene (hi, Irene!). Irene's brother has been a huge Disneyland fan for years, and during his many trips to the park he took a lot of photos. I mean A LOT! When he moved, there wasn't room for all of his stuff, so Irene asked me if I would be interested in snapshots, mostly from the 1990's. Absolutely! 

So we arranged a meeting place and time - we were like two spies having a covert rendevous. It would probably not surprise you to learn that she is as friendly and nice as can be (as are all of the blog readers that I have met). As for the photos, I expected a shoebox, or perhaps a single binder. But there were FIVE large, heavy binders with many MANY hundreds of photo prints. It was amazing.

Since then I have scanned some 400 photos which will appear on this blog; Irene's brother had an eye for details, so there are pictures of neat signs, construction, short-lived live shows, parking lots, vehicles, and all sorts of unusual stuff. Frankly I was surprised at just how much has changed in the past two decades, and am very happy and grateful to be able to share those photos here.

Today I decided to pick a selection of rather random images, to give you an idea of what's in store for future posts. Like this very neat photo from inside the cab of the C.K. Holliday, looking at the backhead of the boiler, with all of its controls. Disneyland Railroad enthusiast and national treasure  Steve DeGaetano was kind enough to provide some great info, which I am going to share with you guys:

Yes, that is the C.K. Holliday, looking like the engine is waiting at Main Street Station--I can see the bridge railing out the window on the right.  The diagonal silver bar pointing to 2 o'clock is the throttle ("gas pedal")  and the vertical silver bar on the right is the "Johnson Bar" which controls forward/backward movement. The little gauge to the right of the big one is the brake pressure gauge (The needle showing at 10 o'clock is the pressure in the main tanks, the other needle pointing down shows the brakes have been taken off). 

The bright red circular valve to the left is the "steam" to the water glass, which is sort of like a glass tube on a coffee urn that shows the water level in the boiler. The glass itself is hidden behind the brass casing holding the light bulb. The curved pipe going to the glass is coated in gauze soaked in white plaster--an insulation to protect the crewmen from getting burned (the temperature of that pipe is about 350 degrees F). The fireman is adjusting the fuel rate with his left hand on the brass lever. Looks like he's increasing the size of the fire by admitting more fuel (which is what you want to do before leaving a station). 

The two other curved pipes you can see go to the water injectors, which inject water into the boiler even though its under pressure. The speedometer (called the "tach" by CMs) is visible just on the edge of the upper right of the image, measures speed in feet per second. If you could zoom in, you might be able to make out the "SF & D RR" markings on the face--testament to the detail Walt sought to include in DL.

Meanwhile, for those of you interested in the Disneyland Railroad, I strongly recommend Steve's book, "Welcome Aboard The Disneyland Railroad" (with a new improved edition - better info, better photos, better everything!).

This next one is something of a mystery to me; it was clearly taken from outside the park looking in. Plus, the photograph was taken from perhaps 40 or 50 feet up. There is a guard gate in the lower left. It appears that Storybook Land's "Cinderella Castle" is closer to us than the spires from the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which (I think) would place us at the northeast edge of the park looking southwest - so, nowhere near the "Mickey and Friends" structure. Maybe. Those palm trees might be in Tomorrowland. I can't make sense of it.

I am sure you readers will solve this mystery. It's cool that I have no other photos from this very unusual perspective!

This is a familiar view, but I love the fact that the Skyway was still in operation when Irene's brother snapped the photo. Almost all of the photos in this collection are undated, but at least we can tell that this is from before November of 1994, when the Skyway was removed. Bonus points for visible bobsleds!

The fourth and final picture for today features this view from the old pre-DCA parking lot looking toward the ticket booths, with Main Street Station and the horn that matters peeking up. Imagine being able to park just a short walk from the front gate!

MANY THANKS to Irene and her brother!

(Ol' Major Pepperidge might need to lighten up on the use of exclamation points, but they seemed apt for this particular post).